Dance or gymnastic routines typically include a wide variety of steps. Some steps require the feet to slide across the support mat, floor or dance surface, while other steps require the feet to grip the support surface. For example, turns and spins, which are typically performed on the ball of the foot, or other traveling steps such as a glissade, all require that the feet slide across the dance surface. On the other hand, a balancing step such as an arabesque, or a jumping step, require the feet to grip the floor. Thus, depending on the step a dancer is executing, it is desirous to have the foot either slide across or grip the floor which inherently is impossible when the dancer is bare-footed or wears a full stocking or shoe.
Dancing or gymnastic shoes are often utilized by dancers or gymnasts to assist in the execution of various dance steps or gymnastic routines. Typical examples of such dancing shoes can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,520,708 issued to Goldstein et al and U.S. Pat. No. 1,745,054 issued to Selva. These references pertain to a full-sole ballet slipper which will not provide the wearer with, in effect, two areas of different friction properties to facilitate the various steps, etc.